MLL Championship Weekend: Casey Powell, Hamilton Nationals Left It All on the Field

As the final seconds of the clock wound down in the Major League Lacrosse Championship, a Hamilton National went in hot pursuit as Boston Cannons midfielder Paul Rabil sprinted across the field trying to kill the remaining time in the game and seal the Cannons' win.

He dove in desperation and helped force a turnover with the hustle play — a little too late to make a difference in the 10-9 score — and winced in pain on the grass as the clock hit zero and the Boston bench cleared onto the field to celebrate.

It was the type of play you'd expect from a first- or second-year player trying to make a name for himself and secure a roster spot heading into expansion. Instead, it came from a 35-year-old legend whose legacy needs no cementing: Casey Powell.

The play was symbolic of Powell's contribution to the Nationals' squad late in the season — an unwavering desire to do anything to win a championship and a willingness to be a model player for the youthful team.

But that play led to a knee injury and doubts about the star's future in the game. Powell walked off the field gingerly with help from two Nationals' staff members. Powell said Tuesday afternoon that one doctor told him it could be a ligament tear and another told him it could be just a sprain. He's awaiting more results and should have a definitive diagnosis Friday.

On Monday he posted the following on his Facebook page, addressed to family and friends. The comment received nearly 100 Likes and 50 replies:

"Thank you for sending the nice messages about the game and your concern for my knee. I have met with 2 different Doctors and have received different opinions. One bad and one not as bad. I will find out more by friday when I get results of MRI. In the meantime, I will hope for the best. Thanks again, Casey."

“I was out there just trying to make a play,” Powell told Inside Lacrosse on Tueday. “I was out there trying to win a championship and that's what I had to do at that time.”

Powell was on the defensive end but opposite side of the field from Rabil, the idea being that if the Hamilton defense forced a turnover, Powell would be able to streak toward the offensive zone for instant offense. When Rabil split his double team of Brodie Merrill and Kyle Rubisch, it became Powell's job to step in and “try to get in his way.”

“You see Casey Powell out there selling out like that for a championship, you should be doing the exact same thing,” said the league's Rookie of the Year Jeremy Boltus. “It was a telling moment of our team's whole season. We battled through the year through ups and downs. We struggled at first, but keep battling and battling and things will go our way. Casey's attitude and his play really represented that.”

The play was just one moment in a stellar performance for Powell in the championshp game. He had four goals — three unassisted — and the offense ran through him throughout Hamilton's resurgent second half.

“It was unbelievable the way he kept us in the game and did everything he could,” Boltus said. “It's amazing seeing a person like him selling out and doing anything for a championship.”

“I thought they did have the talent. The guys were playing their roles,” Powell said. “There's an argument they played better than anyone in the second half of the season. I thought that they had a chance and all they needed was a quarterback.”

His first game was a loss against Boston, where he scored two goals. He also played the season finale — a win-and-get-in game — against Long Island.

Powell said his first two games with the team he needed to shake off some rust. He had not played in the MLL since 2008, and his only field lacrosse play the last two years had been at the Vail and Lake Placid summer tournaments. With most of Powell's recent pro experience being indoor (MVP of the 2011 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague in May with third-place Team USA), Hamilton was a good fit with its Canadian influence and box style on the field.

“When I got called up. I hadn't run since the end of May. I hadn't been working out. The first two games was just to start the process of getting ready for a championship run. As soon as we beat Long Island I started working out really hard, playing pickup and put on a big effort to get ready. My legs felt good and fresh,” he said.

Thorpe pointed to Powell's versatility and ability to play midfield or attack as a reason for aquiring the star. The Nationals earlier in the season made a concerted effort to focus on their young core of players, dealing John Grant Jr. to Long Island. But Powell's off-the-field presence — along with the steadying forces of Thorpe, assistant Gary Gait and Defenseman of the Year Brodie Merrill — was big for a team that played 11 first-year players during the season (In the championship, seven first-year players saw time).

“A big thing for me was his personality off the field as well as on the field," Boltus said. "The first day we had practice with him, a bunch of guys went out to eat lunch with him before the game. He introduced himself to me said 'you had a great college career' and whatnot and asked about what I'm doing now. It was a nice little experience knowing that one of the best players in the world is a very personable guy. It was a very humbling experience. He was just a phenomemal guy, a great personality. He so dynamic in so many ways.”

Said Powell, “I just love playing the sport, and I know you have to come together on and off the field to be successful. That's something I try to do on every team I play for. It's good to have good relationships and get to know a little about each other. If they know you a little off the field it makes it a little more comfortable on the field."

And the rookie players deserve just as much credit as Powell for that dynamic. Powell said on Saturday after the win against Denver the young players were receptive to his addition to the team.

“These guys welcomed me with open arms and I'm excited to have a chance to win a title,” he said. “They've been open to learn from us. They're a classy bunch of guys willing to buy in and play their role and not do too much. Just do what needs to be done and help the team win.”

But his and the Nationals' quest for a championship came up short against the Cannons, a team in many ways the polar opposite of the Nationals. The Cannons were the favorites heading into the season and with their star veterans were the face of the league. Hamilton dresses a ton of rookies, plays a Canadian-influenced style and at the beginning of the season was not picked to make much noise. So it's tough for Nationals players not to be happy with their performance and their blue-collar approach to the year.

“You can't hold your head too low becaues I think we've accomplished a few things that not many people really saw us coming out to accomplish,” Boltus said.

“As many championships as I've won I've lost just as many and maybe more,” Powell said. “If you leave it all out there, then in my book it's a win. We laid it all out there. It didn't go our way. We have nothing to be ashamed of, but that's lacrosse.”

But Boltus hopes Powell has at least a little left for a run next year.

"Hopefully he can come back to us and continue his lacrosse career. I don't think anyone in the entire world wants to see Casey Powell not playing lacrosse," Boltus said. "He's great for the game, a great ambassador for the sport and a great human being."